Knowledge, attitude and practice of female university students regarding human papillomavirus and self-sampling in KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa: a cross-sectional survey.

Background: Human papillomavirus (HPV) infection remains a major cause of cervical cancer. Screening practice in South Africa has remained persistently low, with the invasiveness of pelvic examination as a major barrier to screening. This occasions the need to assess women's knowledge, attitude, and...

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Publicado en:BMC Women's Health Vol. 22; no. 1; pp. 1 - 15
Autores principales: Eche, Miracle Tamaraebi, Vermaak, Kerry
Formato: research tables/charts Journal Article
Publicado: BioMed Central 3/4/2022
Acceso en línea:Ver este registro en EBSCOhost
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      dt: 3/4/2022
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      pub: BioMed Central
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        atl: Knowledge, attitude and practice of female university students regarding human papillomavirus and self-sampling in KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa: a cross-sectional survey.
      aug:
        au:
          Eche, Miracle Tamaraebi
          Vermaak, Kerry
        affil: School of Built Environment and Development Studies, University of KwaZulu-Natal, Durban, South Africa
      sug:
        subj:
          Cervix Neoplasms Diagnosis
          Papillomavirus Infections Diagnosis
          Cervix Neoplasms Prevention and Control
          Papillomavirus Infections Prevention and Control
          Papillomavirus Vaccine
          Vertebrate Viruses
          Attitude to Health
          Patient Attitudes
          Adolescence
          Female
          South Africa
          Middle Age
          Cross Sectional Studies
          Aged
          Students
          Colleges and Universities
          Adult
          Young Adult
          Papillomaviruses
          Human
          Adolescent: 13-18 years
          Middle Aged: 45-64 years
          Aged: 65+ years
          Adult: 19-44 years
          Female
      ab: Background: Human papillomavirus (HPV) infection remains a major cause of cervical cancer. Screening practice in South Africa has remained persistently low, with the invasiveness of pelvic examination as a major barrier to screening. This occasions the need to assess women's knowledge, attitude, and practice regarding HPV testing and self-sampling.Method: This is a cross-sectional quantitative study which enrolled 386 female students between the ages of 18 and 65 years at the University of KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa. Data was collected through a self-administered structured questionnaire, from February to March 2020. Data on participants' socio-demographic characteristics, knowledge, attitudes and practices regarding HPV, HPV testing and self-sampling were obtained.Results: Out of the 386 respondents, 30.6% were unaware that HPV can be transmitted through unprotected sex, only 25.1% knew about the availability of HPV vaccines in South Africa, 16.1% knew that the vaccines are accessible for free, while 79.0% were oblivious to the asymptomatic nature of HPV infection. Furthermore, a vast majority (95.8%) had never heard about self-sampling while only 1.0% had undergone HPV testing prior to this study. Although 52.9% knew that HPV testing could prevent cervical cancer, it did not positively impact screening practice. However, 57.7% of participants were willing to undergo future screening if allowed to self-sample.Conclusion: Self-sampling is a more acceptable means of sample collection compared to pelvic examination. Therefore, encouraging self-sampling and providing self-sampling kits will aid increased screening participation and address certain barriers associated with HPV testing. Awareness and educational campaigns about HPV and its causative relationship with cervical cancer will occasion better attitude towards screening participation.
      pubtype: Academic Journal
      doctype:
        research
        tables/charts
        Journal Article
      ougenre: Article
    language: English
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